Office



(Nd Model.)

O. W. MARTIN.

LETTER BOX.

No. 527,799. Patented Oct. 23,1894,

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UNrrEn STATES ATENT' OF ICE.

CHARLES WILSTAOH MARTIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y;

LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Batent No. 527,799, dated October 23, 1894.

Application filed July 30, 1894:- Serial No. 519.014. (No model.)

i To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES WILSTACH MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Boxes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to improvements in letter boxes, designed more particularly for street use, and it has for its prime object to provide a construction whereby the robbing of the box or the unauthorized removal or extraction of letters and other mail matter will be absolutely prevented; a tilting platform and pivoted door being arranged with respect to each other so that when the door has been opened for the deposit of mail. matter, the platform will be held in a closed position so that access cannot be had to the box, nor even a View of the contents, until the doorhas been unlocked by the authorized collector.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a vertical, sectional View, showingthe platform and door closed with the position of the door in dotted lines, when opened. Fig. 2, is a similar View showing the platform tilted and in the act of discharging letters with the door closed. Fig. 3, is a vertical, sectional view of the box embodying a modification with a part of the box broken away, illustrating the door and platform closed, and Fig. 4, is a similar view with the door closed and the platform tilted.

Referring byletter to said drawings:-A, indicates a box which may in general be of any ordinary and approved form and construction, such as at present in use, having a door a, for the removal of the mail matter deposited in the box, and B, indicates a tilting platform. This platform B, may be composed of sheet metal or other suitable material and it.is provided at its forward transverse edge with an oblique flange 17, against and in the construction shown in Figs. 1. and 2, the flange b, terminates in an angularlydisposed guard 0, adapted to engage the lower transverse edge of the pivoted door as will be presently described. The platform B, is pivotally connected with the walls of the box in any approved manner at about the elevation illustrated, and it is so disposed as to normally assume a horizontal position when relieved from the weight of the mail matter and close the entrance; astop d, and a guard flange 6, being preferably provided for the inner edge of the platform as shown.

In Figs. 3, and 4, of the drawings, the platform B, is composed of a single thickness of sheet metal or other material, and instead of having its forward edge provided with a flange b, it has a curved flange I), designed to beengaged by the door depending from which flange is a curved guard 0, adapted to engage the lower transverse edge of the pivoted door.

InFigs. 1, and 2, of the drawings, thedoor C, is pivoted at f, and is adapted when closed to bear against the front wall of the box and against a stop g, while in Figs. 3, and 4, the door is similarly pivoted and is provided with a flange h, having a projection i, adapted to engage the guard c, of the tilting platform when the door has been opened as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

By reason of the construction shown in Figs. 1, and 2, of the drawings, it will be seen that when the door is opened the flange b, of the platform will engage the door andlimit the inward movement of the lower portion of the same, and said platform will be held in the position shown in Fig. 1, by its guard c, engaging the lower edge of the door so as to close the entrance to the box, and that said platform .will normally remain in such position when the door is closed. When however the door is opened and mail matter is deposited upon the platform, the platform will be held in its closed position until the door is closed, when it will dump the mail 'matter in the box and will then return to its normal closed position by reason of its flanged end being heavier than its opposite end. When the platform tilts as just stated to deposit mail matter in the box, the guard 0, will be which the pivoted door bears when opened brought against or sufiiciently close to the door 0, as shown in Fig. 2, to prevent said door from being opened and an entrance thereby gained to the box while the platform is tilted.

As shown in Fig. 3, of the drawings, when the door 0', is closed, the platform B, will rest in a horizontal position and close the entrance to the box, and when said door is opened the flange h, thereof will be carried to a position above the flange b, of the platform and the platform will be prevented from tilting and the inward movement of the lower portion of the door will be limited. The mail matter being now deposited on the platform and the door being closed, the platform will tilt and deposit the mail in the box and will then return to its normal position. When the platform tilts as shown in Fig. 4, the guard 0', will engage the door as shown and prevent the plat form from tilting too far, and also prevent the door from being opened. From the foregoing it will be observed that it is impossible for a person to remove mail matter from the box except by unlocking the door a, and it will also be observed that my improvements can at a small expense be applied to mail boxes such as at present in use and that they can be cheaply applied to new boxes at the time of manufacture.

When heavy mail matter is deposited on the platform, it might tend to hold the platform in engagement with the door and the door would consequently be held in its open position and the platform would be prevented from tilting. I therefore contemplate employing a spring as at, which is connectedto the door and box and is designed to return the door to its closed position when it has been opened, but I do not desire to be understood as confining myself to the use of a spring as it is only preferable.

Having described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. The combination of the box having an opening for the introduction of mail matter, the straight door 0, pivoted at an intermediate point of its length so as to swing in a vertical plane and adapted to normally rest in position to close the opening, and the tiltin g platform B, fulcru med at an intermediate point of its length and provided at its transverse edge contiguous to the door 0, with the depending, oblique flange b, and at the lower edge of said flange b, with the angularly disposed guard c, all adapted to operate, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the box having an opening for the introduction of mail matter, the door G, pivoted at an intermediate point of its length so as to swing in a vertical plane and normally rest in position to close the opening and having the angularly-disposed flange h, at its lower end and the angular projection i, at the end of said flange, and the tilting platform B, 'fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length and provided at its transverse edge contiguous to the door 0, with the curved flange b, and at the end of said flange with the depending curved guard 0, having the angular projection at its end, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES WILSTACH MARTIN.

Witnesses:

J OHN NEWTON JOHNSON, LEON KRONFELD. 

